Tanya Fox, editor, and Brooke Smith, managing editor, are the editorial team behind CardMaker magazine. When not reviewing design submissions and planning future issues of the magazine and pattern books, they can often be found exploring websites for inspiration and visiting their favorite local coffee shop.

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Hi everyone, Diana here! Today I am sharing one of my favorite techniques for making unique card backgrounds with just a few ink pads and some simple packaging material.

For this technique, you will need:

Ink pads: I like to use three colors but you can use any number you like.

Padded mailer: Plain bubble wrap works great too.

White cardstock

Start by cutting your bubble wrap or padded mailer into 3 x 3-inch squares. Don’t worry about measuring—the exact dimensions don’t matter. You will need one square of bubble wrap for each color you are using.

Press a bubble wrap square into your ink pad and use it to apply ink onto your white cardstock in a random pattern. Be sure to leave some white space since you will be adding additional colors.

Continue applying layers of ink in each color with the bubble wrap. Once you have applied all the colors, you can go back and fill in or add more of any color to create additional depth. TIP: Use a new piece of bubble wrap for each color so you don’t ruin your ink pads.

When you are finished you will end up with this fun, bubbly, abstract design that makes a gorgeous card background!

Here is my finished card. I mounted my bubble wrap background onto a coordinating mat and attached them to an A2-size (4 1/4 x 5 1/2-inch) white card base. Next, I added a bold sentiment strip and finished it off with a die-cut heart.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you give bubble wrap stamping a try!